Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-03-24
THE ESSENTIALS OF CALIFORNIA
LAND VALUES.

1t is urged by several Eastern tourists
that Californians place too high value
upon lands they offer for sale. We do not
understand how this can be made to apply
to the lands of Northern and Central Cal
ifornia. The value of our farm lands, to
home-seekers should not be measured by
the standard of the Eastern soil in a
Western, Middle or Southern State. The
true method is to value the land by the
advantages the climate of the region af
fords. Place "atop" of the best lands of
Michigan, Indiana or Illinois the climatic
advantages of California, and then estimate
the enhanced value such endowment would
give to the soil of the States named. All
such consideration of the question will give
resulting values considerably in excess of
those placed upon California lands by their
possessors. 1t is true that the worth of
anything involves the desire of one to buy,
and of another to sell The desire of the
stranger home-seeker is to secure locations
free from the diseomforts of rigorous win
ter; soil that viii produse in one way or
another the year round; advantages of
temperature, salubrity and comfort, that
will eliminate largely the struggle with
nature that is enforced at the East To
those owning lands here the blessings of
climate, bounty OF production, ease of
tillage, the minimum of physical labor and
the healthfulness Of locality, are as power
ful factors in determining values of lands
rs to those who come from abroad with
the desire to purchase. 1t follows that it
is climate and all the advantages of local
ity, aflording satisfaction in life, in which
we deal. When the Eastern buyer ad-
iusts the values of our lands according to
Eastern standards, he must not forget to
place in the balances the climatic rigors
and uncertainties from which he fees, and
the climatic comforts and certainties he
here seeks. These are, indeed, the chief
factors. When, therefore, the Eastern
visitor says, as one did recently in our
hearing, Your lands are held too high;
can buy as good in Dakota, Iowa, Wiscon-
sin or Illinois for third less" they should
be given at once the problem, "What
would be the values of Dakota or Iowa
lands under the influence of such climate
rs that of California ~ The answer that
must be given will in every instance con-
stitute complete refutation of the charge
that we hold our lands too high The
same conditions fix values here as beyond
the Rocky mountains-environme We
offer these guarantees: that the home
seeker who takes our lands may, if he
wishes, labor upon the soil every day in
the year without any great physical dis
comfort; that he will not be driven to
house up" half or third, or any other
portion of the year; that he shall be as
sured of flowers for his breakfast table
from his outdoor garden beds every morn
ing of the years circuit; that he shall be
insured against the necessity of close sta
bles, Of tunnelling his way from house to
barn, of storing winter supplies, of frozen
sod and arctic gales or cyclones He shall
receive full guarantee that some part of his
soil will yield to the labor OF his hand
some product useful in maintaining exist
ence, every week in the year; that he shall
never be called upon, in self-protection
from cold, to bank up" the foundation Of
his dwelling or pitch the roof to shed great
visitations of snow his stock shall not
freeze in the stall, nor his mill cease to
grind because of the cengealing of his
streams. In short. we guarantee and pass
it as the chief essential of the title of the
soil we throw in when we sell the climate,
that for the minimum Of effort here, he
shall reap far more than the maximum OF
return for greater labor expended upon
lands at the East. There are here and
there cases where landowners, in speculat-
i've contemplation OF BOOM place ex-
traragant values upon California lands. but
such are the exceptions